Lure of Lightning, page 34
When we float back down to earth, I place her back down on her feet and whisper in her ear, “You’re perfect. A perfect little mate.”
I lift my hand to stroke a lock of hair away from her cheek, and as I do, she gasps, snatching my arm in her hands and bringing it closer to her face, illuminating my skin with her light magic.
There are the faintest marks painted across my wrists. She traces them with the tip of her thumb.
“I don’t understand,” I say.
“You have the fate marks,” she whispers, “they’re similar to the ones that mark Thorne and Beaufort’s wrists.”
Yes, I never doubted it, I always knew, fate has twined us together.
Chapter Fifty-Three
Dray
“What the fuck?!” I snap.
Not only do Beau and Thorne have the marks on their wrists that show fate has bound them to Briony, now the fucking professor does too. Only my wrists remain unmarked and unpainted.
Briony drops into my lap and wraps her arms around my neck, giggling as she does.
“I don’t have them either,” she says, showing me her wrists. I growl, nipping at the delicate skin there and she giggles some more.
“It’s not fair,” I pout.
“You know it doesn’t mean anything. You’re my mate. I don’t need any marks to tell me that.”
“You really mean that, Little Kitten?” I ask her, peering up at her from where I’m sucking on her left wrist.
“Absolutely.” She strokes her fingers through my hair.
“Still isn’t fair though,” I mutter. “I’m your favorite mate. I should’ve had the marks first.”
“You’re my favorite are you?” She tugs on my hair.
“Yeah, because I do earth-shattering things to you with my tongue.” I lean closer and nip her earlobe. “Want me to do those earth-shattering things to you now, Little Kitten?”
“I really need a freaking bath!” she shrieks as I nibble down her throat.
“A bath, hey?” I say scooping her up into my arms and taking her up to the guest bathroom in the center of the house. It’s the only bathroom with an actual bath. Like I said, baths and wolves do not mix. I fill it with hot, bubbly water and then I take my time, slowly undressing her.
“That looks so good,” she says, staring down into the steaming hot waters as I pull her sweater over her head and brush out her hair with my fingers.
“You know what looks really good, Little Kitten?” I say, as her scent swims up into my nostrils. Having her here in my home, in my territory – my mate – is more than my wolf can handle. It’s sending him kind of wild.
“What?” she asks, hands coming to rest on my shoulders.
“You, of course, Little Kitten,” I say. “You’re by far the most beautiful, most delicious, most appetizing little treat that exists not only in this realm but the whole of the universe.”
“That’s quite a claim to make,” she says. “The whole of the universe, huh? That’s one big place. How can you be sure?”
“Well,” I growl, “I’ve spent quite a lot of time in two realms now, and I stand by my answer.”
I bend my head, pressing my nose into the crook of her shoulder, and then I suck on it hard, making her gasp, and making all those juices of hers start running. They permeate the air and my wolf is practically howling inside me, scrabbling to get out. He wants to claim his mate, to build a nest and fuck her full of pups. I shake my head, tipping it backwards. Maybe that full moon isn’t quite over yet – or maybe it’s just what Little Kitten does to me.
“I’m gonna fuck you,” I tell her. “I’m gonna fuck you before you have a bath.”
“Do I get a say in this?” she asks.
“No,” I tell her, snapping off her top and the bra underneath and burying my face between her tits next, loving how soft they feel against my cheeks, loving the way she squeals when I nip at her nipples, sucking on them hard.
“I’m not really in control right now, Little Kitten,” I growl, hands scrabbling to yank down her pants. “It’s my wolf. He’s in control. And all he wants to do is fuck you over and over again. He wants you on your hands and knees so he can fuck you now.”
“Your wolf is very bossy,” she says.
“My wolf is the dominant. He’s the alpha. He’s in control of this pack, in control of this family, and he wants to control his mate too. So get on your hands and knees, Little Kitten, and submit to your alpha.”
Little Kitten, though, has never been the submissive type. She’s refused to wear our collar. Refused to do as we say. She has her own mind, her own plans, her own way of doing things.
She winds her arms around my neck and smiles up at me with a mischief I recognize.
“If your wolf wants me to submit,” she says, “he’s gonna have to make me.”
“Oh yeah?” I say, hands coming to rest on her ass and squeezing it hard. Fuck, I love this ass. I’d be happy to bury my face between the cheeks too. It’s my favorite place to be in all the universe.
“Yeah,” she says, pressing her round tits into my chest and lifting her leg to hook around my waist. “You want me on my hands and knees, alpha – make me.”
“Oh shit, Briony,” I mutter, because I’m rock hard now and seriously close to losing all my control. “You really want to play this game, Little Kitten?”
She grins at me. “I like games,” she says. “Alpha.”
I growl and take ahold of the back of her neck, holding her firm. “You’re a naughty Little Kitten, aren’t you?” I say. “A naughty Little Kitten who needs to submit to the wolf, the big bad wolf. Come on, kitty cat, onto your knees.”
“No,” she says, a flash of defiance and a spark of arousal in her eyes.
I can smell how wet her pussy is, how much she’s enjoying this little game. And fuck, I couldn’t love this girl more than I do right now – taunting my wolf in a way that’s driving him mad, in a way he craves, in a way he wants.
“Down on your knees, Little Kitten,” I growl, pushing my weight on her shoulders.
She tries to fight me, eyes flashing with that defiance. But I’m stronger than she is – at least, my body is – and soon she has no choice but to bend her knees and kneel before me. I peer down into her emerald-green eyes, big and wide, as they stare up at me.
“Beautiful,” I murmur, and then I’m pushing at her again, forcing her to bend over until her hands hit the tiled floor.
“Yes,” I say. “Just like that. Just like that for your alpha. For your mate. Now, part your legs a little for me, Kitten. Show me that dripping wet hole of yours.”
The Little Kitten does something I don’t expect, she growls right back at me, and I can’t help chuckling as I yank my T-shirt off and drop my pants. Then I’m coming to kneel behind her, forcing her legs apart with a nudge of my knees. I massage her fat ass, sweeping my thumb through her folds until it’s covered in her arousal, fisting my cock with my other hand as I do. It would be so easy to get myself off like this – just the sight of her, all open and ready for me in just the way I want is enough. I could come all over her back and her ass, smear it into her skin so that she smells just like me, just like my wolf.
But my cock is impatient. He’s impatient for her. He’s aching for her, throbbing in my hand just thinking about her. I lean over her body, caging her with my frame, nipping at her shoulder.
“You know how hard it was for me to know he sunk his teeth into you, Little Kitten?” I growl right by her ear, taking a fistful of her hair and wrapping it around my knuckles. “Do you know how much my wolf craves to bite you too? To claim you.”
I yank back her head, elongating her throat.
“Is that a thing?” she says.
I chuckle. “Fuck, Little Kitten. You have no idea. I am the alpha of this pack, and all I want to do is claim my little mate, to sink my teeth into her shoulder and ensure everyone knows that she’s mine.”
I swim my tongue around that bit of her throat I love the most, where her scent is most intense. So clearly her. I scrape my teeth down it.
“You’re gonna scream for me, Little Kitten. You’re going to scream so they all hear you.”
Then I’m folding back up onto my knees, and with one hand on her hip and the other still caught in her hair, I thrust my cock into her weeping hole, groaning as I feel her welcome me inside, her walls gripping me securely. She’s so warm, so tight, and so deliciously wet.
“Fuuuck,” I groan.
She makes one of those cute little mewling noises.
“Yeah, like that, Little Kitten,” I say. “Only louder. I want the whole fucking household to hear you. I want them to hear you scream my name.”
I slide out of her. My wolf wants to savor this. He doesn’t want me going too hard, too fast. He wants to make it last. I watch, transfixed – the sight of my cock running in and out of her slowly, slowly. She whimpers, wriggling her ass, clearly wanting more friction, more pressure, and more force.
“What do you want, Little Kitten?” I say to her. “Tell me. What do you want? Do you want to be fucked by my wolf?”
“Dray!” she calls out, followed by several little squeaks.
I yank on her hair, to get her attention, to ensure she’s listening to my voice. “I said, Little Kitten, tell me what you want. Use your words.”
“Dray,” she mutters, “I want... I want to be fucked. Please fuck me. Please fuck me real hard.”
And how can I refuse the woman – like I said, wrapped around her finger in every possible way. I may be the alpha. I may be the dominant. I may be bigger and stronger and more powerful than she is, but I am completely under her control, completely obedient; like a good little wolf should be.
And so, with my fingers sinking into her soft flesh and my other hand yanking the hair at her scalp, I drive into her – a steady, hard rhythm that has her panting and gasping for breath.
“Come on, Little Kitten,” I say. “I want you to come. I want you to come all over my cock. I want to hear you scream.”
The Little Kitten has always liked my dirty mouth, and she likes it most when I’m fucking her – fucking her like this – and so it doesn’t take long at all until she’s writhing on the end of my cock, screaming out my name, her body tightening and then going floppy and weak so that I have to grip even harder at her hip to keep her in place. Because I’m not done yet. I’m not done with her.
I fuck her right through her orgasm, making her squeal and squirm. And then, when she’s begging me because she can’t take anymore, because it feels that good, I come. I sink into her pussy, and fill her with my seed, ensuring that she’s going to smell like me deep in her pussy.
“Fuck,” I mutter again, folding back over her a second time.
We’re both covered in a fine layer of moisture. Sweaty, messy, sedated. I chuckle, nibbling at her neck again. She’s all dreamy and sleepy after that orgasm, and we collapse together onto the tiled floor. I wrap her in my arms, kissing up her neck, along her jaw, and towards her lips.
I’m just about to tell her how much I freaking love her when the bathroom door slams open, and I realize I’ve been a fucking fool – a fucking fool to trust at all.
Chapter Fifty-Four
Briony
The bathroom door flings open and a man stands in the doorway. I scream, attempting to cover myself with my arms and my hands. There’s no questioning who the man is – it’s damn obvious. Fine white-blonde hair and those colorful eyes. He looks like the man who’s attempting to shield me with his body. The only one of Dray’s brothers I haven’t met. The one closest to him in age.
“What the fuck, Danders?” Dray snaps. “Get out!”
For a moment I think it’s some kind of mistake. And then I think it’s some kind of family prank. Didn’t Dray tell me all the stories of the times he and his brothers played tricks on each other, the times they locked each other in cupboards or spiked each other’s food? But the look on this man’s face – sneering, and something not quite right glinting in their eyes – tells me this is no game, no trick, nothing fun at all. This is serious.
He stands there resolute, glaring at his brother, chin raised in defiance.
“Who told you we were here?”
“No one, but you’re freaking predictable, big brother, and also Dirk is a shitty liar.”
“How many?” Dray says lowly. “How many are there?”
“Too many,” the man says with a smirk. “You’re not going anywhere, big brother.”
“How many?” Dray repeats.
“All her elite guards,” his brother responds.
I don’t understand the conversation or what the hell they’re talking about, but in the next split second both of them are shooting shadow magic at one another so quickly it flashes through the air in a supersonic blur, smacking into each other with a deafening crash.
“Little Kitten!” Dray says, jumping right up onto his feet. “Get the hell out of here. Get the hell out of here now!”
“What?” I say, also attempting to stumble up onto my feet. “What’s going on, Dray? I don’t understand.”
“It’s an ambush,” he says. “It’s a trap. You need to get away. You need to get away now.”
As he says the words, I hear shouting below us, the thunder of many pairs of feet and the clashing of magic. I see it flash past the window.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I say, scrabbling for the nearest piece of clothing and forcing Dray’s shirt down over my head. “If they’ve come for us, I’m staying here, and I’m fighting with you.”
“No!” Dray growls. “You’re going. We can hold them back, Kitten. So go find that dragon and get the hell out of here.”
“I’m not leaving you,” I cry.
Haven’t we just spent the last two days trekking through the demon realm, fighting demons, battling the Madame, risking our lives because one of my mates was missing and I had to find him – had to save him? I’m not about to be parted from them again. I’m not about to let them all risk their lives for me.
“You don’t understand,” Dray says. There’s none of his usual humor in his voice at all. “If we’re arrested, if we’re taken in – all of us – it’s game over. There will be no escape. It will be the end. But if you go, if you go now, there’s a chance.”
“A chance?” I say, shaking my head in disbelief. “That’s madness, Dray. If I stay, if we all fight together, we can drive them back.”
“No, Kitten, there’re too many. It’s our only chance.”
“I can’t go,” I sob, “I can’t be parted from you.”
“Briony!” he snaps, throwing ever more powerful shadow magic toward his brother, as footsteps thunder on the staircase. “There’re more coming. Go now, before it’s too late.”
I jolt, and then I’m doing as he says, swinging my gaze around desperately, looking for a way of escape.
“Wait – the window,” he says. “The window, Briony!”
I rush toward it and yank it open, leaning my head out of the window and seeing just how many guards are out there circling the house, so many I can’t even count. Their magic is powerful and violent, windows smashing, wood splintering in all directions.
I look up into the clear sky, the sun so much higher than it was when we arrived hours ago. I can’t see Blaze. I don’t know where he is.
I close my eyes and feel for him.
“Blaze,” I whisper. “Blaze, I need you.”
I open my eyes and see a fire bolt whizzing my way. I duck, and it comes soaring through the window, landing right in the middle of the bathroom, exploding into flame and sparks.
“Shit,” I mutter, glancing back toward Dray, who’s still battering his brother, forcing him through the doorway.
“Where the hell’s that dragon, Kitten?” he growls at me.
“I don’t know,” I mutter. “I don’t know.”
I risk another glance at the window – and then I see him. In the sky. Flying as quickly as he can toward me, his wings flapping violently through the air.
The soldiers spot him too, and I can tell they don’t know what to do. Should they fire at him? Should they leave him be?
Blaze makes the decision for them. Flame blasts from his nostrils, and the guards scatter like startled birds in all directions.
“Blaze!” I call, waving my hands. “Blaze, over here!”
He spots me, and then he’s swooping down low. I know there’s only one way for me to board him. I peer down at the ground – we’re at least two stories up. If I misjudge this, if Blaze misjudges this, I’m going to plummet all the way to the hard ground below. At best, I’ll break a leg; at worst, my neck or my skull.
I swallow hard, cross my fingers, and as my brilliant, amazing dragon comes swooping down from the sky, I leap from the window, landing hard on my stomach across his back.
“Oof!” I groan, barely having a chance to right myself as Blaze soars back up into the sky, out of reach of the guards and the shadow magic they’re now firing toward us.
I peer down at the carnage.
I can’t leave them here. I can’t leave them to fight alone. But I don’t know where they are. They’re all locked in the house, fighting the guards that surround them.
Blaze flies away from the battle, clearly agreeing with Dray that we should get as far away from this danger as we can.
Everything in my heart aches. I can’t do this. I can’t leave them.
I refuse to surrender.
“This is not how things are going to end,” I yell, kicking my heels against Blaze’s flank, forcing him to turn in the sky and urging him back towards the mansion.
Dray is wrong. We’re stronger together and together we will fight.
But I’m too late.
From the distance, I watch in horror as the three Princes are led from the house, each of their arms secured behind their backs. I scream in horror, raising my hands to shoot my magic their way.
Before I get the chance, they’re gone, whipped from sight along with all the guards, displaced away.
